February 2009

Cheap & Cheerful

This Valentine’s Day, surprise your loved one with an impromptu getaway and these 30 great date ideas

WORDS EMMA VEALE

Given a romantic date typically includes an expensive dinner, roses and champagne, it’s no surprise that a new trend in dating is on the rise: fun, budget date ideas that will get the romance firing on all cylinders! Perfect for long-term couples and first dates alike, we bring you the best in dating from across the Jetstar map, the ThirtyDollarDateNight.com way!

Take a Hike

Wander together through lush rainforest to the majestic Manoa Falls. The 90-minute easy hiking trail is the perfect backdrop to a rewarding afternoon stomp.
Manoa Falls, Manoa Road, Waikiki, Honolulu

Garden Party

Vanish into Australia’s largest hedge maze… there’s lots of giggly fun to be had running into dead-end corners and stealing kisses in corners where no one will find you!
Bellingham Maze
Tanawha Tourist Dr, Tanawha Valley, Sunshine Coast, tel: +61 (7) 5445 2979

Cinema with a Twist

The Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema season runs right across Australia every summer. Treat your sweetie to a movie you know they’ll love then snuggle up together under the stars with a blanket to watch. The hot flicks in the 2009 line-up include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Lars and the Real Girl, Marley and Me and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinemas
Various locations around Australia, www.moonlight.com.au

Row Your Boat

Spend an idyllic afternoon on the water in an old-fashioned wooden rowboat. Take a picnic (and a parasol!) and while away the hours drifting downstream together. Die-hard romantics can even recite poetry.
Studley Park Boathouse
1 Boathouse Rd, Kew, Melbourne, tel: +61 (3) 9853 1972

Dessert Only

After eating dinner at home, take your lover out for a Dessert Only date… and where better than Koko Black Chocolate? Watch the chocolatiers deftly roll champagne truffles in the display kitchen before settling into a pair of cosy armchairs for a Belgian Spoil chocolate platter, which includes two hot chocolates or two glasses of wine.
Koko Black Chocolate
Royal Arcade, Melbourne, tel: +61 (3) 9639 8911

A Cultural Experience

Drink in some traditional Balinese culture with a shadow puppet show. Intricate, handmade puppets cut from buffalo hide are manipulated and voiced by a puppeteer telling fairytale stories for you to get swept up in.
Wayang Kulit Performance
Oka Kartini, Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Bali, tel: +62 (361) 975 193

Take in a Sunrise

When was the last time you watched a sunrise? Get up early and head for Newport Beach to watch the sun come up over the ocean, then take a dip in the rockpools at the southern end before breakfast at The Cooks Larder in Avalon, a short drive away.
The Cooks Larder Shop
1, 21-23 Old Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon, Sydney, tel: +61 (2) 9973 4370

Couples Massage

Where else but Thailand can you indulge in an hour-long massage for two people and still have change from your AU$30? Sink into relaxation side-by-side at this utterly charming massage parlour.
Ruen Nuad Massage Parlour
42 Convent Rd, Bangkok, tel: +66 (2) 632 2662

Molecular Cocktails

Just basking in the ambience of the Hilton’s classy Zeta Bar is fun enough — never mind sampling their new deconstructed molecular cocktails! The cutting-edge of mixology now sees us eating our margaritas and martinis… your budget will allow you one each.
Zeta Bar at the Hilton Sydney
Level 4, 488 George St, Sydney, tel: +61 (2) 9265 6070

Picnic Under the Stars

With the Singapore Botanic Gardens open until midnight, pack a yummy basket full of goodies and indulge in a late supper under the stars. If you choose your night right, you could be serenaded with a live music performance at the Symphony Stage open-air theatre.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Rd, Singapore, tel: +65 6471 7361

A Bicycle Made for Two

What better way to get in sync with your date than on a tandem bicycle? Pick one up at Bike & Hike, then head into the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and wind your way through the 6km mountain biking trail. Watch out for the cheeky monkeys.
Bike & Hike
The Rail Mall, 382 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore, tel: +65 6763 838

Money Can’t Buy Love:
A great date is not measured by the amount of money you spend, it’s about the effort and thought you put into it. Some of the silliest dates can be the best, because they make you laugh together.

Nine Anytime, Anywhere Date Ideas
1. Cook dinner together: just aprons on!
2. Borrow or buy one of those huge 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles and spend a rainy afternoon piecing it together over hot chocolate.
3. Pick up a box of kikki.K Love Conversation Starters and settle in for a night of very interesting conversation with your sweetheart. www.kikki-k.com.au
4. Purchase some art supplies — graphite pencils, charcoal and sketching pads — and take turns in trying your hand at drawing your partner. Google 'how to draw a portrait’ for some handy tutorials to get you started.
5. Bake a cake together from scratch and decorate it beautifully before grabbing a tall glass of milk and stuffing yourselves silly!
6. Seek out a pool hall and shoot a few rounds together over a pint of beer.
7. Buy a bucket of balls at the local golf course and head to the driving range to practice your swing.
8. Get the endorphins going with a night out at your local comedy club — tickets are usually cheap and if you pick a showcase night featuring lots of different comedians, you’re guaranteed a laugh.
9. Collect seeds, soil and pots, and plant yourselves a veggie patch or herb garden — it will make for delicious dinners later.

For more creative date ideas, visit www.thirtydollardatenight.com